Four Jefferson County organizations among health grant recipients

WHEELING -- The Community Foundation of the Ohio Valley Wednesday announced the 21 recipients of this year's River Valley Health Fund grants, among which were four Jefferson County organizations.

A total of $150,239.33 was awarded to support health and well-being improvement initiatives in the Ohio Valley. Of those funds, $42,400 have been allotted for initiatives belonging to the Sycamore Youth Center, Ohio Valley Health Center, Urban Mission Ministries Inc. and Jefferson County General Health District.

Founded in 1972, the CFOV facilitates philanthropic donations in the upper Ohio Valley region. Leveraging donations into charitable actions and strategic investments, the CFOV distributed $3 million in grants and scholarships during the past year alone, according to Debbie Stanton, the foundation's program officer.

One of the CFOV's component funds, the RVHF continues the charitable outreach of the former nonprofit Ohio Valley Medical Center and East Ohio Regional Hospital, following their sale to the for-profit Alecto Healthcare Hospitals. The fund issues health care or education-supporting grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations in or serving Brooke, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties in West Virginia and Belmont, Jefferson, Monroe, Guernsey and Harrison counties in Ohio.

"We are thrilled to see such a diverse group of organizations receiving support this year," CFOV Executive Director Susie Nelson said in a release. "Each of these projects plays a crucial role in addressing the pressing health needs of our community. From mental health initiatives to critical healthcare equipment, these grants will have a meaningful impact on individuals and families throughout the Ohio Valley."

Located at 301 N. Fourth St., Steubenville, the Sycamore Youth Center received $20,000 to support its after-school enrichment program. Executive Director Bobbyjon Bauman said this is the center's first grant from the RVHF, though it has received awards from the CFOV's Community Impact Fund.

Bauman said funds will help pay for food, gas and supply costs associated with the center's various health-related classes held throughout the year, including cooking, nutrition, indoor/outdoor recreation and martial arts.

The center feeds participating youth, amounting to roughly 100 individuals per day and 500 per week. Additionally, the center provides 350 lunches to East Garfield Elementary School students on Fridays and operates a summer mobile food pantry that supplies about 6,000 meals to six different sites in Steubenville and Wintersville.

"We're very grateful that (the CFOV) saw value in what we, as an organization, are providing for Steubenville and the surrounding area," Bauman said.

Serving individuals with little or no medical insurance, the Ohio Valley Health Center received $10,000 from the RVHF to help purchase an echocardiogram machine for use as a diagnostic tool in its clinic located at 432 South St. in Steubenville. Like Sycamore, the OVHC has history with the CFOV, but this is the first year it received funds from the RVHF, noted Executive Director Ann Quillen.

An echocardiogram, Quillen explained, is a noninvasive test that provides cardiac function data for use in treatment plan specification and medication adjustment. That data can be the difference between whether an individual with a heart condition can be medically cleared to resume working.

"Twenty percent of our patients suffer from cardiac-related conditions," Quillen said. "Many times, people who are uninsured can't afford that diagnostic echocardiogram, even when it's medically necessary. So, having a machine on site, we'll be able to perform that test on all of the patients who need at point of care, at no cost to the patient."

The OVHC is able to purchase the machine through this grant, as well as two other funding sources, Quillen said. An order has already been made, and the machine is expected to arrive within two months. Once training is complete, Quillen said, the machine will be ready for use.

Urban Mission Ministries Inc. -- a Steubenville-based Christian nonprofit providing local low-income individuals and families with food, shelter and other services -- received a $7,500 grant to support its Healthy Food for All initiative. Executive Director the Rev. Ashley Steele noted it's "always a gift and a blessing" to further projects with aid from the CFOV, which the Urban Mission has worked with for years.

Urban Mission's application focused on "utilizing food to be a powerful force for good," Steele said, and it built on healthy food initiatives the nonprofit already operates across its food pantry and shelters. Funding will help purchase proper storage and distribution equipment for perishable food like refrigeratots and biodegradable to-go containers, Steele said.

Additionally, funding will help expand the nonprofit's meal preparation education program, which currently serves between 20 and 30 people, into a bulk food preparation program expected to serve more than 100 meals per day. The meals will be prepared in the industrial kitchen of Urban Mission's future Seventh Street Plaza site, which could begin construction by the end of September and fully conclude after about six months.

Jefferson County's public health department, the JCGHD received $4,900 to purchase a lead testing machine. This is the department's second time receiving a grant from the CFOV, with the first being awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic to bolster the department's response, said health Commissioner Andrew Henry.

Jefferson County is a high-risk area for lead exposure, having a large number of older homes made with lead-containing materials like paint, Henry said. Additionally, some in the area may be unable to afford cleaning supplies to mitigate their exposure risk.

This year, the JCGHD received a grant from the Ohio Department of Health for lead awareness and education, through which it was able to provide individuals with free cleaning supplies and create public service announcements about the effects of high lead levels, especially on chidden. Feedback was positive, and some individuals asked for testing, Henry said, though the department had no way to offer it until now.

An invoice request has already been submitted to the department's medical supplies distributor, Henry said. Plans are to have the machine located in the department's sixth-floor office in the Jefferson County Tower building -- 500 Market St., Steubenville -- and it will likely be functioning as soon as September, no later than October.

The machine will be available to anyone but requires a physician's order, which can be issued by the department's Medical Director Dr. Janie Culp. The test will be covered by individuals' insurance, Henry said.

"We're in a perfect spot to do lead testing because we have the WIC clients, who are always coming in for card loads and assessments, and we have the diaper bank and Cribs for Kids, so we're constantly seeing the high-risk clientele in the office," Henry said.

"For us, it'll be another value added when clients come in and receive services. If we can get them that lead test, and we recognize high lead levels, then we can get that information to their pediatrician and allow them to make that medical decision not help get their lead levels down, have those conversations (about risks). ... That way, in turn, we can ensure that they'll be in a healthy and safe environment."